The Caged Countess

by Joanna Fulford

  ‘Then let us speak of more pleasant things. Tell me about your shopping expedition.’

  ‘It seems unexciting in comparison. All the same I found a wonderful mercer’s shop and they’d just received a new consignment of fabrics, including some exquisite Indian muslin in different shades. It was rather extravagant, but I bought enough for several gowns.’

  ‘I look forward to seeing them.’

  ‘I found some beautiful watered silk for a ball gown as well.’

  ‘The Somersets’ ball?’

  ‘Yes. We shall see your friends there and I want to be a credit to you.’

  ‘You are never anything less.’ He possessed himself of her hands. ‘Whatever you wear you’ll be the most beautiful woman in the room.’

  ‘Are you trying to turn my head with flattery?’

  ‘I’d like to think it was in my power to do it, but I know better.’ He drew her closer. ‘I’ll have to try something else.’

  ‘Oh? What else?’

  What else was a lingering kiss that set every nerve tingling. Claudia pressed closer, twining her arms around his neck, her entire being alive to him. The embrace went on for some time. Then she looked up at him.

  ‘Will you waltz with me at the ball?’

  ‘As often as you like.’

  ‘Hmm. It will be regarded askance if you dance with me too often. You will be regarded as a jealous husband.’

  ‘I am a jealous husband. Fiercely jealous.’

  ‘It is unfashionable to be so. An air of indifference is the accepted norm.’

  ‘To the devil with the accepted norm,’ he replied.

  Chapter Sixteen

  The Somersets’ ball was a grand affair and fashionably crowded to boot. She and Anthony had not long arrived before they met Falconbridge along with some of his fellow officers. Some of them evidently knew the Earl, among them Colonel Albermarle.

  ‘Good to see you again, Brudenell. Didn’t think we would after Vittoria. Bad do.’

  ‘It’s good to see you too, sir.’

  ‘What have you been doing with yourself in the meantime?’

  ‘Oh, this and that. Keeping myself busy.’

  ‘Best way.’ Albermarle glanced at Claudia and then fixed the Earl with a lofty stare. ‘Well, aren’t you going to introduce me?’

  ‘I rather hope he’s going to introduce all of us,’ interjected a plaintive voice from the surrounding group.

  ‘Forgive me.’ The Earl performed the introductions, only to find his wife’s hand solicited for several dances. He watched in silent chagrin as she went off on the arm of a dashing young grenadier guardsman.

  Falconbridge read him correctly and grinned. ‘These other fellows are a confounded nuisance, aren’t they? I’ve just lost Sabrina to a colonel in the 52nd.’

  His companions laughed and then Channing spoke up. ‘We mean to see you quite cut out.’

  ‘Just so,’ said Fitzroy. ‘You can’t expect to keep your lovely wife to yourself, you know.’

  Falconbridge sighed. ‘In that case I shall have to go and drown my sorrows. Coming, Tony?’

  ‘There’s nothing else for it,’ replied the Earl.

  * * *

  Claudia had two dances with the grenadier and then, as he led her from the floor, another man stepped into her line of vision. As her gaze took the narrow, angular face with its pale blue eyes, she experienced a jolt of recognition.

  ‘Monsieur Viaud. What a surprise.’

  His gaze swept her, lingering a moment on the low neckline of her gown. Then he bowed. ‘A pleasure to see you again, my lady. It has been too long.’

  The recollection of their last meeting returned with force. It had been at Oakley Court and they had discussed the use of the property’s coastal access. She realised then that his presence here was not coincidental. Your contact will find you. He smiled and extended a gloved hand.

  ‘May I have the honour of this dance?’

  It was a waltz, a perfect opportunity to talk privately while in plain view of everyone else. While Gabriel Viaud certainly wouldn’t have been her choice of partner for such an intimate dance, she had to acknowledge it was a clever ploy.

  ‘You have spoken to Madeleine Fournier,’ he said.

  It was a statement, not a question. If he knew, then it suggested that she had been watched. The thought was not entirely comfortable.

  ‘You are well-informed, monsieur.’

  ‘It is my business to be well-informed.’ He paused. ‘May I ask what you spoke about?’

  ‘I asked if she had any idea who betrayed Alain Poiret.’

  ‘And?’ The blue eyes watched her closely.

  Claudia smiled ruefully. ‘She said that she knew nothing of Alain’s business. That he never discussed it with her.’

  ‘Did you think she was telling the truth?’

  ‘Perhaps.’

  ‘Why perhaps?’

  ‘I think that events in Paris frightened her very much. It’s hardly surprising.’

  ‘I suppose not.’

  ‘She has also lost someone who had been very close to her.’

  Viaud’s lip curled. ‘Alain Poiret wasn’t her first lover.’

  ‘That doesn’t mean that she didn’t sincerely care for him.’

  ‘Women of that sort are concerned only with the money such liaisons bring.’

  ‘Women only become that sort because of men, monsieur.’

  He surveyed her steadily for a moment but Claudia held his gaze. Then he returned a mocking smile. ‘I stand corrected, my lady.’

  They lapsed into silence after this. Having delivered her message Claudia wanted to nothing more than to be out of his presence now. When at last the dance ended and he led her off the floor she could only feel a strong sense of relief.

  * * *

  The Earl had a glass of champagne with his friend and then, as other people broke into their conversation, he left them to it and moved on to mingle with the other guests. Without any appearance of deliberate intent he strolled into the ballroom and stood near the doorway, scanning the dancers. He saw Sabrina and the colonel, and then, further off, his own wife, dancing with Gabriel Viaud. The implication did not escape him and his brow creased for a moment. Then he reflected that it was probably a good thing. Once she had reported her findings her involvement was at an end.

  When the dance concluded she parted company with Viaud and her hand was immediately solicited for the next. She looked more relaxed now, laughing at something that her partner had said. Evidently a witty reply followed because he laughed in return. He happened to be a very handsome youth, his dark good looks set off by the dashing uniform he wore. They appeared to be getting along famously too, if smiles were anything to judge by. The puppy was getting a damned sight too familiar with her. Immediately, the Earl’s annoyance turned inwards as he recognised his response for what it was. Until recently jealousy had been foreign to his nature. Claudia was naturally vivacious and blended effortlessly into the social scene, but she showed no sign whatever of favouring any one of her partners above the rest. He had no cause to be jealous. All the same, when the grenadier retained her hand for the third time, the Earl’s tolerance wore thinner.

  The dance seemed to go on for an interminably long time but when at last it ended and Claudia’s partner led her from the floor, the Earl seized his chance.

  She smiled and lifted one arched brow. ‘I suppose it would make no difference if I told you that the next two dances are already taken?’

  ‘Devil a bit,’ was the cheerful reply.

  ‘It’s quite against the rules. You do realise that?’

  ‘Of course I realise that.’ He put his arm around her waist. ‘It would be no fun otherwise.’

  She ma
de no further protest. It would have been a complete waste of time, and in any case there was no-one she would rather have danced with. He excited her as no other man ever had, but then no other man possessed the same magnetism, the same dangerous charisma. Every time he looked at her or touched her it only heightened the attraction. That other women watched them with envious eyes did nothing to diminish the sensation. She would have been less than human not to enjoy it.

  After three more dances Claudia had to plead thirst. The room was hot and crowded and the thought of a refreshing drink was attractive. They went into the adjoining room where he found them some fruit punch. Just then a familiar figure joined them.

  Claudia smiled, recognising Colonel Falconbridge. However, he wasn’t alone.

  ‘Lady Claudia, I should like you to meet my wife.’

  Claudia looked curiously at the woman opposite. Sabrina Falconbridge was tall, willowy and blonde, her figure admirably shown off by a modish gown of spangled white sarsenet. She also had the most beautiful green eyes that Claudia had ever seen. They lit now in a warm smile.

  ‘I am so pleased to meet you at last, Lady Claudia.’

  ‘And I you. My husband has told me so much about you.’

  ‘Oh dear, and I had so hoped to make a good impression.’ The tone was friendly and ever so slightly mischievous.

  Claudia smiled and relaxed a little. ‘You need not be concerned. He spoke of you in the most glowing terms.’

  ‘That was generous of him.’

  ‘Not generous, sincere,’ replied the Earl.

  Sabrina gave him a smiling glance and then turned back to Claudia. ‘I’ll wager he didn’t tell you that he once saved my life and Robert’s too.’

  ‘Indeed he did not.’

  ‘It was a truly heroic deed.’

  ‘It was no such thing,’ said the Earl. ‘I happened to be with the rescue party at the time, that’s all.’

  ‘Don’t listen to him, Lady Claudia. He will only downplay his role in the affair.’

  ‘I think I would rather hear your version of the story,’ she said.

  ‘You have my word on it.’

  The Earl groaned, but his friend only laughed. ‘It’s no use. I’m afraid the truth will out.’

  ‘I thought you were on my side.’

  Falconbridge feigned surprise. ‘Whatever gave you that idea?’

  It drew a general laugh as he had intended, and the ice was well and truly broken. Sabrina looked at Claudia.

  ‘Shall we leave the men to talk awhile and adjourn next door where it is a little cooler?’

  Claudia seized her chance. ‘That would be most pleasant. This heat is fatiguing, is it not?’

  Having taking leave of their husbands for the time, they helped themselves to more fruit punch and then found an empty couch where they might talk in comfort. Sabrina was easy company and quite willing to recount some of her experiences in Spain. Claudia listened with rapt attention.

  ‘It sounds so very exciting,’ she said. ‘I am quite envious.’

  Sabrina grinned. ‘It had its moments, your husband’s rescue of us being one. He denies its importance but, believe me, it would have been all up with us if he had not appeared when he did.’

  ‘He and Colonel Falconbridge were already friends, I collect.’

  ‘Yes. They were in the same regiment and saw action together on several occasions. The last time was at Vittoria.’

  ‘Anthony rarely speaks of it.’

  ‘It was a bad time for him. No doubt he prefers to leave it in the past.’

  Claudia hesitated. ‘I should so much like to know...to understand...what happened to him. I don’t just mean the physical injuries, though they were bad enough, but his state of mind at the time.’

  Sabrina set down her cup. ‘The physical injuries also crippled him mentally for a while. He withdrew into himself and shunned company wherever possible. Even Robert could not reach him at first.’

  Claudia bit her lip. It was worse than she had imagined. ‘I know that Anthony hated having to resign his commission and leave his friends.’

  ‘Yes. It was a grievous blow on top of everything else, but, at the time, he felt that he had no alternative. He thought he would never regain the use of his arm, that he would be a liability in combat.’ Sabrina sighed. ‘Above all he could not bear to be pitied.’

  ‘I can well believe it.’

  ‘It was as though a stranger had taken the place of the man I knew. He was unfailingly courteous but he never initiated conversation any more, never once intimated at the thoughts on his mind. When one looked into his face there was nothing there, only emptiness.’

  Claudia was very still, her mind trying to grapple with the scale of loneliness that the words implied.

  ‘He did not tell anyone when he was leaving,’ Sabrina went on. ‘One morning he was gone. We had seen him the previous evening; he stayed a little while to take some wine with us. With hindsight it must have been his way of saying goodbye.’

  ‘He would have avoided any kind of fuss.’

  ‘Yes, though we were worried about him nevertheless. We assumed he would return to his family, but inquiry there drew a blank.’

  Claudia’s glass paused in mid-air. ‘You sent to Ulverdale?’

  ‘That’s right. The Earl sent back a short reply saying that the whereabouts of his son were unknown to him.’

  ‘I see.’ The fact that her father-in-law had not even mentioned the inquiry filled her with impotent fury.

  ‘Forgive me, but from the tone of the letter it appeared that he and the Earl were not close.’

  ‘No, they weren’t.’

  ‘Well, it must have come as a great relief to you to have your husband back.’

  ‘It was momentous in every way,’ replied Claudia. Unwilling to pursue it further she changed the subject. ‘May I come and call on you one day soon?’

  Sabrina smiled. ‘I should like that very much.’

  * * *

  The conversation stayed with Claudia long after the two women had parted again. As she had hoped at the outset, it afforded fresh insight into Anthony’s past. It was evident that Vittoria had changed him irrevocably. She had never really known the man he had been before, but she did want to know the man he had become. His loneliness and pain were clearly visible to her now, and for the first time she recognised that they held those things in common. Some of the reasons for that were different, but ultimately it stemmed from the same root cause.

  She was drawn from these reflections by the men who had bespoken the next dances, but, although she smiled, they could not hold her attention. Her gaze ranged across the crowded room but could not find the one man she wanted. Then, when the next measure ended, someone announced that the fireworks were about to start and people began to move out on to the balconies and the terrace.

  Feeling oddly forlorn now, Claudia followed a small group out on to a balcony overlooking the lawn. The air was blessedly cool out here, and scented with jasmine and stocks from the beds below. Above it all a million stars spangled the velvet night sky and a perfect crescent moon hung in their midst. It was impossibly beautiful, a night made for romance. All it lacked was the right man to share it with.

  A blaze of light from fifty Catherine wheels announced the start of the display on the lawn in front of her. Then a shower of rockets burst with staccato pops into a constellation of red and green stars eliciting excited gasps from the audience below. Several ladies cried out as a mortar burst flung dazzling silver comets across the sky. The smell of smoke mingled with the scent of flowers. Claudia was held by the spectacle now, watching spellbound. She failed to notice the man beside her until she felt an arm around her shoulders. She looked up and felt her heart leap.

  ‘Anthony.’

  ‘Are
you enjoying the display?’

  ‘Very much.’

  His arm tightened a fraction and drew her closer. Claudia relaxed against him, felt him drop a kiss on her hair. Then they stood together and watched. The noise intensified as volleys of rockets hurtled skywards and then burst. Almost simultaneously something whined past Anthony and hit the wall behind. Stone chips flew. He frowned and looked round, taking in the mark where the lighter colour showed through the small damaged area, and then the lead ball lodged within.

  ‘Antony? What is it?’

  ‘Inside, quickly.’ He grasped her arm and drew her indoors, away from the open window. ‘Stay here.’

  He returned to the balcony, his gaze scanning the garden, but outside the ring of light created by the fireworks display, the trees and shrubs were in deep shadow. A crowd of people stood between. By the time he found a way around them the attacker would be long gone. He swore under his breath and then retraced his steps to join Claudia. Her face registered both shock and incredulity.

  ‘Did someone just shoot at us?’

  ‘Yes, and used the fireworks to mask the sound.’

  ‘Why, of all the devious, cowardly.... Did you spot anything suspicious out there?’

  ‘No. The edges of the garden provide ideal cover.’

  ‘He would have needed it: he could scarcely have drawn a pistol in front of so many witnesses.’

  ‘True.’

  ‘Well, the villain is probably long gone by now.’

  ‘And perhaps he isn’t. I can’t take that chance. I’m afraid we’re going to have to miss the rest of the display.’

  ‘It doesn’t matter.’ Now that initial indignation had worn off, she shivered a little, looking round the room, where now only a few servants were in evidence. ‘Let’s just be glad the attacker wasn’t a better shot.’

  He took her hands and squeezed gently. ‘Do you want to stay for supper?’

  ‘I don’t think I could enjoy it. I’d feel as though I had to look over my shoulder the whole time.’

  ‘Then I’ll take you home. We can apologise to our hosts later.’

  They returned to the hallway and, while Claudia retrieved her evening cloak, he called for the carriage. Within ten minutes they were on their way.